Method of bending electrotype-plates.



P. M. FURLONG.

METHOD OF BENDING ELECTROTYPE PLATES. APPLICATION FILED JAN; 14, 1009.RENEWED FEB. 4, 1910.

956,522. Patented May 3,1910.

Arm mu To all whom it may concern:

' plate, so that when curved than when flat; and in from flat plates ofthe same work. same difficulty UNI;

PATRICK M.

STAES fr rrion.

FURLONG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF BENDING ELECTROTYPE-PLATES.

Be it known that I, PATRICK M. F URLONG, of the city of New York, countyof Kings, and State of New Xork, have invented a new and Improvedtrotype Plates; and I do' hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this application.

An obstacle to the successful and econom-- ical use of two-colorprinting-presses in printing from both tlat and curved electrotype orother printing plates on the same job, has been the necessity forbending the electrotype plates twice, melting away the backing betweeneach bend, and re-backing with metal. This is made necessary by the factthat when an electrotype or other printing plateis curved for printingona press cylinder, the process of curving stretches the it is longer onthe printing face consesuch curved register with the impression Theobtains when separate parts of a work are printed on cylinders of different diameters.

In this present application I describe an improved method of bending orcurving electrotypes and other printing plates, which prevents thestretching of the plates while being bent or curved, thus producing bentor curved plates having the length of the print ing face the same asthat of flat plates of the same job or worlr, and giving an impressionin register with the impression from the flat qu'ence the impressionfrom plate does not.

plates.

Figure'l IS a perspective view of the plateholder. F 1g. 2 1s aperspective View or a reniovable wedge-shaped member. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the plateholder with the fiat electrotye platesecured thereon. Fig. 4: is an end evation of a form of press for givingthe curvature to the plate. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of thecompleted plate after being operated upon by the dies of the press.

In the accompanying drzm'ings: Fig. 1 represents a spective view of .aplateholder, (4, con .ing 01' n lat plateof resilient material,preferably steel, having guides or *3, and c, isposed upon its @rface a1distance apart to conveniently Method of Bending Elec I i i I I l I i ii i I Patented May 3, 1910. Renewed February 4, 1910. Serial No.542.072.

receive an electrotype plate between them with some space atone end.Guide or cleat 0 is wider at one end than theother, and is wedge-shaped.

Fig.- 2 is a perspective view of a wedge; shaped member or elongatedpiece of. ma-

terial, flat, and having one end wider than the other.

l ig. 3 is a perspective .view of the plateholder at with a flatelectrotype plate 7'', laid I flat upon the surface of the'plate-holdera between the cleats or guides & and c, and with a piece of card-boardor paper e between the fiat surfaces of the plate and plate-holder. Thewedge-shaped member (Z is shown in position between one end ofelcctrotype plate 7', and the fixed guide or cleat c. i

Fig. i is an end view of an ordinary press having a convex die yarranged to fit firmly into a concave die it. 'lhe plate-holderid withthe electrotype plate 7 lying flat-upon the card board 0 is shownbetween the :dies 9 and It, in position for pressing.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the plate f in itscurved condition afterreceiving the impress of the dies in the press. The plateholder a andcard board e are shown returned to their; original flat conditionthrough their resiliency. T

In performing the method,.the flat elco-g trotype plate, as showpnt f,in Fig; 3, is plgiccd with thev printing-surface down on the tintsurface of the improved plate-holder a, with a card-board, 0, betweenthe surfaces,

to prevent abrasion of the typefaces. The elcctrotype plate is placed onthe plateholder between the cleats or guides b and c, and the separatewedge-shaped member (I inserted between the cleat or guide 0 and the cudof the ch-actrotype plate, and driven home. so that its sides tightlyengage with the cleat or guide 1: and with the electrotypc plate f, thusforcing the plate firmly against the'cleut b on one side, and the wedge(Z on the other.

The piatcholder withthe cardboard and tho eleetrotvpc plate held tightlybetween the guides by the impact of the wedge, is placed between theconvex and concave dies of a press, as shown in Fig. 4. and the diesbrought together by turning down the press in' the usual manner. Thedies of the press are then separated, by reversing the press; theplateholder removed with its contents of plate and cardboard, and thewedge removed from between the end of the electrotype plate and theguide or cleat. The plateholder and cardboard return to'their originalfiat condition, wholly or nearl so, by reason of their resiliency. Theresu t of this operation is to produce an electrotype-plate bent to thesegment of a cylinder as shown in f, Fig. 5, and which has its printingsur face of the same length as it was when the electrotype plate wasfiat, before being pressed. This result is due to the softer metal ofthe electrotype plate being held by the guides or cleats upon theplateholder, which is stronger than the electroty e plate, and preventsit from stretching in t e processor pressing.

In speakin of the printing surfaces of a flat plate anc a curved plateproduced by my process being the same in length, I desire to includethis sameness of length in curved plates of diiierin de rees ofcurvature, when my improve met 0d is used.

The use of a late-holder of resilient material on the side of anelectrotype plate, with a bufi'er of cardboard or paper between theplate and the plate-holder, during the process of bending, Is now incommon use in the art as here shown; as is also the use of a press withconvex and concave dies, or a concave die and rollers, to bend or curvethe plate, and I do not claim any of these steps as new.

' What I claim as new is:

1. The herein described method of bending or curving electrotype plates,which consists in confining the edges of the plate parallel to the axisof the bend or curve and downward, interposin then bending or curvingsaid plate while held a ainst stretchin 2. The ing or curving anelectroty e platewhich consists in placing the fiat e ectrotype plateupon a support with the an aim-abrasion member, tightly confining thesides of the electrotype plate parallel to the axis of the bend and thenbending the plate.

3. The herein described method of bending or curvin electrotype plateswhich consists in tight y wedging the opposite sides thereof against asupport and confining said sides parallel to the axis of the curve, thensubjecting the'same to the action of curved dies, then removing theholding means and allowing the support by its resiliency to assume itsorigina fiat condition.

4. The herein described method of bending an electrotype plate whichconsists in placing upon a support a resilient bed, placing on said bedan electrotype plate with the printing surface downward, then firmlyholding the opposite sides parallel to the axis of the curve and againstexpansion, then pressing between curved dies and then removing theholding means and allowin the support and bed to assume its origins.

fiat condition by reason of their resiliency.

Dated New York, January 5, 1909.

PATRICK M. EURL'ONG.

Witnesses:

VVrL-H. DAIGNEAULT, JULIUS SILVERMAN.

printing surface herein descrided method of bend-

